10 tips for readable documents
Actionable steps to immediately improve your documents, from headings to font choices.
Using the five principles, you can improve the readability of your document in 10 steps.
Headings
Break documents into section using headings and subheadings.
Tip
You must mark headings with styles such as Heading 1, Heading 2, and so on.
Heading 1
Section content goes here...
Heading 2
Subsection content goes here...
Bullet points
- Break lists into bullet points.
- Number the list if you often refer to individual points.
Shorter paragraphs
Break text into shorter paragraphs. That will greatly increase ease of scanning. Your readers will also not be put off by a big block of text.
Bold key phrases
Bold key phrases in longer paragraphs. This has been shown to increase comprehension.
Do not bold entire sentences or paragraphs. Blocks of bold text are more difficult to process visually.
Background last
Start with the key new information. Do not leave out important background but put it last. Sometimes all you have to do is take the first paragraph and put it second or at the end.
- Key Information
- Background / Context
- Decorative / Welcomes
Do not remove important information, but documents often start with welcomes and introductions that are essentially decorative. You can easily skip decorative text. Decorative text just gets in the way.
Show outline
Show the outline of the text. You can use:
- 1 Table of contents
- 2 List of key points
- 3 Icons with keywords
Shorter sentences
Shortening sentences will increase readability of your text more than any other advice on simple language. Keep the average between 15 and 20 words per sentence.
Some other language tips:
- Address the reader rather than talk about them.
- Use verbs rather than nouns when possible.
- Avoid repeating the same word in lists.
Line length
Shorter lines are easier to scan. It is not the physical length but the number of characters. Keep your lines between 50 and 70 characters.
~ 60 characters wide ~ This box demonstrates a constrained line length. It is much easier for the eye to track back to the start of the next line when the line is not too long.
- People who use magnifiers will find it easier to follow.
- Increasing the font size achieves the same effect.
Font size and spacing
You can increase speed of reading by up to 10% if you simply make the font bigger and increasing line spacing. This should really be the first thing you do but you may not always have control over this.
Ideal Settings
- Line Spacing 1.2 - 1.5
- Font Size Min 12pt (more is often better)
Examples
- Handout Arial 14pt
- Long Text Times New Roman 13pt
- PowerPoint Arial 28pt+
- Email Calibri 14pt
Graphics use
Graphics can increase comprehension and ease navigation. They also make the text more approachable. However, beware of overusing graphics by simply adding too many decorative elements that have little relevance to the content.
Good uses
- Icons added to lists
- Charts used to summarise
- Images used to illustrate
Avoid
- Superfluous images
- Images not related to the text
- Very busy and distracting images or icons